Rediscovering Christophe Lemaire

Two highlight looks from Christophe Lemaire AW09

I've been hearing the name Christophe Lemaire, or rather variations of the name for the last few weeks. Good friend, John Howard Little attempted to recall the designers name because he had stumbled across Lemaire's latest collection over on Mens Rag two weeks ago and has been excited by it ever since but couldn't quite recall the name correctly. I must admit that my little brain tends to overload with designer look books as a new season approaches and some slip right by me, so I have to thank John for forcing me to retrace my steps. I can certainly see why he was so excited by Lemaire's AW09 offering as the hard working designer resumes his relaxed volume and natural textures.

Do you recognise the name but are unsure where from? Well, Lemaire was at Christian Lacroix in the early 1990s before taking up the position of artistic director of Lacoste in 1998. Lemaire's luxuriously respectful take on the sports brand founded by René Lacoste in the early 20th century has made me nod my head in appreciation more than a few times. It his own line however, which gets me excited. His collections demonstrate a refined fusion of western and eastern references and none more so than this vision of AW09.

Heavy figure silhouettes, interchangeable and even and unisex, subtle dark palettes using Japanese costumes fabrics from the 70's. The clothes appear extremely comfortable and fluid, how could you not want to wrap up in cotton fleece, judo fabrics, silk, linen and woolen tweed? I have dabbled with this type of style before as I dressed up my Carola Euler cardigan with a pair of drop crotch trousers to create an ensemble which made me feel like the offspring of a Samurai and Obi-Wan Kenobi, it was a good look and one I'd happily try again. Here, the relaxed volumes and natural textures are so appealing as the rain lashes down in August, it might just be time to wrap up in soft fabrics and reach for a luxurious cummerbund....